Portable electric light.



C, HUBERT,

PORTABLE ELECTRIC' LIGHT.

APPLICATION FILED M1029, 1911.

Patented Aug. 20, 1912 S vw nto@ l @fn/MAQ v AJ elften/1213 able circuit-closer which usually makes conwith which the circuit-closer makes conspring, it is`an exceedingly ditlicult matter to assure that the contact will not be acciness of eonstruction, inexpensiveness of rmanufacture, convenience of operation and `as the tit of the battery in the casing is nec- CONRAD HUBERT, or NEW YORK, N'. Y.

PORTABLE ELECTRIC LIGHT.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application led December 29, 1911.

1,035,879. Patented Aug. 20, 1912.

Serial N0. 668,493.

To all "whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, CONRAD HUBERT, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Electric Lights, ot' which the followingl is a specification, reference heilig had therein to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof.

My invention relates to portable electric lights, particularly those of small dimensions and convenient shape for carrying in the" pocket and for carrying about in the hand in use, commonly called flash lights. Tn devices of this kind the battery is separable from the casing which carries the lamp, and has exposed contacts which make connection with the lamp terminals, one of these connections being usually permanently maintained while the battery is in the casing and the other connection a manually operatlOther objects and advantages of my invention will hereinafter appear.

My invention includes a circuit-closer bodily slidable along the casing and having a contact-making portion movable inwardly vand outwardly toward and from the coperative battery. terminal, the circuit-closer including in one part. the bodily slidable 'portion and the contact-making portion or the circuit-closer having a yielding portion directly coperative with a guide of the casing.

My invention further includes various novel features of construction and combinations of parts as will appear in the following description.

I shall now describe the portable electric light illustrated in the accompanying drawings and embodying my invention, and shall thereafter point out my invention in claims.

Figure l is a longitudinal section of the casing and circuit-closer. the circuit-closer being 1n open position. Fig. 2 is an end ele- Fig. 3 is a front elevation partly in section, with the circuit-closer in closed-position. Fig. -l is .a plan view as seen from above in Fig. l. Fig. 5 is a detail elevation of the circuit-closer as seen in Fig.

Referring to the accompanyiiig drawings. a liattened and rounded outer sheet metal casingl has a miniature incandescent electric lamp 2 threaded into a socket formed in the closed end of the casing, and removably contains a battery 3, the open end of the casing being closed b v a hinged door l. The battery terminals are usual projecting resilient metallic `contact strips 5 and 6, the strip 5 extending across the end of the-bat tery imposition to be directly engaged by one of the lamp terminals (Fig. l) and the other strip t3 projecting within the casing in position to be engaged by a circuit-closer tact with an exposed terminal of the battery. The push buttons and other circuitclosers commonly employed give only a .short range of circuit-closing movement, and

essarily quite loose and the exposed terminal nection is in some constructions a flexible dentally closed and the battery exhausted and, on the other hand, that the operation of the circuit-closer will certainly close the contact, when a closed contact is desired.

An object of my invention is the provision of a circuit-closer having a large range of circuit-closing movement, thereby accommodating a considerable variation in the location ofthe coperative battery contactv without fear of accidental closure of the circuit and with certainty ot' intentional closure of the circuit. l

Other objects are, non-liability of accidental movement of the circuit-closer to circuit-closing position, and retention in closed-circuit condition without eli'ort on the part of the operator.. y

Other objects are simplicity and compactcircuit-completing means from the battery to the la11ip,f'tlie casing being connected to the other lamp terminal at the lamp socket.

ln the portable light illustrated in thedrawings, the sheet metal casingil has therein parallel guide slots 7 suitablyispaced trom the closed end of the casing at one ot the rounded sides thereof, and the casing also has, adjacent to the guide slotsand nearer to the closed end ofthe casing, a slot S constit-uting a guide aperture tor a contact tindurability.

vation as viewed from the right in Fig. l.

carried b v thecasing forming a part of the ger 'of he circuit-closer. The circuit-closer (shown separately in Fig. 5) is formed ofV of the casing through the guide slots 7 and are turned over or clenched at the. inside of the casing, being adapted to slide in the parallel guide slots 7, which constitute guide- Ways the lugs l0 constituting combined guide lugs and attaching lugs. y

An inwardly curved yieldable contact tinger 11 extends forward from the manually operatable portion of the circuit-closer at the outside oi' the casing and projects through the iinger-guiding slot S to the inside of the casing and terminates in a contactmiaking portion. slot S acts as a guide for the contact finger ll7 so that ivhen the circuit-closer is shifted bodily toward the closed end or lamp end of the casing7 that is. from the opencircuit position shown in Figs. l. 2 and t, to the closed-circuit position shoivn in lD ig. the tree. end or contact-making portion of the contact finger l1 Will be itorced inward from the retracted position ot Figs. l. 2 and 4: to the projected position of Fig. 3 and into contact with the projecting battery contact strip G, and, conversely. when the circuitcloser is shifted bodily toward the open end or door end of the casing, the tree contactmalring end or contact portion of the contact tinger will be moved from the projected closed-circuit position-slioivn in Fig. 3 to the retracted open-circuit position shown in Figs.' l, 2 and 4. As clearly' shown in the dravvi s? particularly by comparison of Figs. l and 3. the contact-making portion ot the contact nger ll has a comparatively Wide range ot .niovement and has suticient movement to move into and out ot' contact with the cooperative battery terminal 6 regardless ot .the exact location of such terminal,

lt will be noted (see Fig. 3 particularly) that the circuit-closing thrust or pressure against the battery contact strip G is substantially perpendicular to the direction of bodily sliding movement ot' the circuit-.closer along the guide slots 7, -so that such pressure or thrust will have no tendency to move the circuit-closer aivay from the circuit-closing position. However, to assure retention of the closed-circuit condition. the contact finger ll is adapted, in the circuit-closing position',l to occupy an oblique or angular position in the finger-guiding slot 8, so that the contact finger is pinched or gripped by the Walls of the slot to thereby develop friction which Will hold the contact tinger in The finger-guiding projecting .trpm the contact with the battery terminal 6, as appears in Fig. 3. The contact finger ll is shaped to forma stop tor preventing the complete Withdrawal ot the contact finger from the finger-guiding aperture .8 in the casing l, and is shown as having a bent inner end forming a stop hook vvhichengages the casing at the guide aperture 8 and constitutes a stop tor the circuit-closer-in its retracted position, as shown in Fig. i. The back of this hook also presents a smooth rounded surface tor making contact with the battery contact terminal 6 (Fig. 3).

It is obvious that various modications may be made in the construction shown the drawings and above particularly described Within the principle and scope of my invention.

l claim l. A portable electric light comprisinl a casing, an electric lamp carried by the cariing, a battery in the casing having one tc"- minal connected to one terminal ot the lamp and the other terminal exposed, the casing having guidevvays for a circuit-closer and also having a guide for a contact linger, and circuit-completing means from the other terminal of the lamp including a bodily slidable circuit-closer mounted to slide along the guideivays of the casing and having a contact tinger'slidable longitudinally of the inger past the finger guide thereby to thrust the tree contact-making end portion of the finger into contact with the exposed battery terminal or toV Withdraw such contact-malting portion from contact with such battery terminal according as the circuit-closer is moved to one position or to the other along the guidevvays.`

2. A portable electric light comprising :i casing. an electric lamp carried by the ing, a. battery in the casing having" one te minal connected to one terminal of the lamp and the other terminal exposed, the casing having guideu'ays tor a circuit-closer and also having a guide 'tor a contact iinger, and circuit-completing means from the other terminal oi' the. lamp including a, bodilyr slidable circuit-closer having a. body tion mounted to slide along the guideways of the casing `and having a contact finger body portion and terminating in al tree contact-making end which is adapted to shift its position relatively to the body port-ion ot' the circuit-- closer, the Contact finger being longitudi nally slidable past the finger guide to shiitt the contact-making finger end to and troni contact-making position in relation to the exposed battery terminal.

3. A portable electric light comprising a casing, an electric lamp carried by the casing, a battery in the casing having one' ter-- andthe other terminal exposed, the

rfa

having guidcways and also having a guide for a contact: linger, and circuit-completing means from the other terminal ot the lamp including a bodily -slidable circuit-closer mounted to slide along the casing in the guideways of the casing and having a yieldable contact linger guided by the linger guide ot the casing so as to move inwardly and outwardly into and out of contact with the exposed battery terminal.

i. A portable electric light comprising a casing, an electric lamp carried by the casing, a battery in thc casing having one terminal connected to one terminal ot the lamp and th'e other terminal exposed, the casing ha ving guideways and also having a guide for a contact linger, and' circuit-completing means from the other terminal of the lamp including a bodily slidable circuitclosermountcd to slide along'the casing in the guideways oli the casing and having a yield-able contact linger guided by the linger guide of the casing so as to move inwardly and outwardly into and out ot contactv with the exposed battery terminal and arranged to be trictionally gripped by such linger 4guide to hold the contact linger in contacty with the exposed battery terminal.

5. A portable electric light comprising a casing, an electric lamp carried by the casingl` the casing having guideways and having therein a guide aperture tor a contact linger, a battery in the casing having one terminal connected to one terminal of the lamp and thc other terminal exposed, and circuit-completing means from the other terminal of the lamp including a bodily slidable circuit-closer mounted to slide along the casing in the guideways of the casing and having a manually actuatable portion at the outside of the casing and a relatively shiftable contact linger projecting to the inside of the casing through the guide aperture and guided by the walls of the guide aperture so as to shift the contact linger relatively to the manually 4actuatable portion into and out of contact with the exposed battery terminal.

6. l portable electric light. comprising a casing, an electric lamp carried'by the casing, the casing having guidevv'ays and having therein a guide aperture for a Contact linger, a battery in the .casing having one terminal connected to oneI tei ninal of the lamp and the other terminal exposed, and circuitcompleting means from the other terminal ot the lamp including a bodily slidable circuit-closer mounted to slide along the casing in the guideways of the casing and having a manually Aactuatable portion at the outside ot' the casing and a yieldable contact linger projecting to the inside of the ;asing thro-ugh the guide aperture and guided thereby so as to move inwardly and outwardly into and out of contact with the exposed battery terminalr` in the circuit-closing position occupying an oblique position in its guide aperture so that it will be pinched by the walls of such aperture to thereby frictionally retain the contact linger in contact with the battery terminal.

7. A portable electric lightI comprising a casing having therein parallel guide slots and also having a guide slot for a contact linger, an electric lamp carried by the casing, a battery in the casing having one terminal connected to one terminal of the lamp and the other terminal exposed, and circuitcompleting means from the battery to the lamp including a bodily slidable Sheet metal circuit-closer having a .manually operatable portion at the outside of the casing provided with combined guide lugs and attaching lugs extending to the inside of thecasing through the guide slots and guided thereby, the circuit-closer also having a yieldable curved contact finger projecting to the inside of the casing through the linger guiding slot and guided thereby so as wto move inwardly and outwardly into and out of contact with the exposed battery terminal, the contact linger having a bent inner end formn ing a stop hook for the circuit-closer in its retracted position.'

In testimony whereof I have aliiXed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CONRAD HUBERT. lvitnesses JOHN lV. ll/TALLER, HARRY C. LnwIs.

the contact linger 

